


Alps, adventurers and sandwiches

by martinisandart



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: Australian Alps, F/M, Hiking, Jack is a sweetheart, Mountains, Oops, Prompt writing, didn’t proofread, is it a date or is it not, phryne hates the heat, should have proofread, so soft, soft, the outdoors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 01:51:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20074159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martinisandart/pseuds/martinisandart
Summary: It’s the height of summer in Melbourne, and Phryne Fisher has been forced to stay inside after almost fainting (it wasn’t fainting, it was the desire for cool air!) on the inspector’s desk. Now Dot is sick of her, and the inspector turns up at 11 in the morning... coincidence? Perhaps... but perhaps not.





	Alps, adventurers and sandwiches

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt (which maybe I took some liberties with the wording to make it fit nicely): 
> 
> A: This is my life now. I have climbed this hill, and now I shall die upon it.  
B: Shut up. We’ve only been hiking for twenty minutes.

The Australian Alps were, in most cases a welcome piece of south eastern Australia’s topography: in winter their snow capped peaks proved perfect for the avid skiers that Melbourne’s high society was home to, or cutting fir trees for Christmas in July celebrations, their sparkling green and white needles dropping crystalline shards of ice as they were dragged back home. In the summer, they were just the right place to go for hikes; their peaks less densely packed with snow, and the more deciduous trees offering welcome amounts of shade from the hot sun. Many were fond of family time and picnicking on these no longer white capped peaks, and if a visitor was to stumble upon the Alps in the spring or summer season, they would be met with people milling around, passing time with the ones they loved, while happy shouts filled the air. Some would be bathing in the melted pools of cool water that the glaciers tended to form, the bright colours of their bathing suits adding to the already bright landscape: cherry red and azure blue bathing suits mixing in with the deep green grass, gorgeous against the cornflower coloured skies. 

Phryne Fisher blinked open her own cornflower blue eyes, and stared up at the high ceilings of her boudoir, taking in a deep breath of the cool morning air that flooded in through her open window. It was already hot outside, the summer at its height; December tended to bring hot temperatures, but as Radio 3JH, and all the local newspapers had recently broadcast- it was the hottest summer in almost thirty years. No one was willing to partake in much at this level of heat, each day reaching between 30°C and 42°C, which for one of Phryne’s pale complexion was hell on Earth. She had been forced by Dot to stay home after almost passing out on the Inspector’s desk the other week (though, if anyone asked her, she was simply laying down because the fan on his desk worked better than the one in the lobby), and this sudden house arrest of sorts was putting her at her wits end.

“Dot?” She called out, grabbing the paper fan off her bedside table that Lin had gifted her so many moons ago,   
“DOT?”   
A moment later, Dorothy Williams poked her head around the doorway to her mistress’s room.   
“Yes Miss?” she entered the room and set down a tray laden with peach iced tea and marmalade toast, before getting to work laying out Phryne’s clothes for the day.   
Phryne reached out to take one of the glasses of tea, and pulled her knees up to her chest in a petulant manner.  
“Did the Inspector call last night? To let you know if he solved our case or not- he said he would call.”   
Dot refrained from rolling her eyes- her employer and the Detective Inspector were so clearly smitten with one another, but were always tiptoeing around, neither of them truly willing to make the first move. She sucked in a breath before turning to face Phryne.   
“Yes Miss, he called.” she said, keeping any real show of tone out of her voice, attempting to keep an air of mystery about herself.   
“Oh good!” Miss Fisher visibly perked up, forgetting how she had been stuck inside for the last few days, and took a bite of her toast with renewed joy.  
“What did he say, Dot?”   
Dot shook her head and this time didn’t stop her eyes from rolling, which was met with a laugh from Phryne.   
“Come on Dot, do say! Was the killer who I thought it was!? I mean I’m always right, and I so do love proving Jack wrong but-“   
Dot cut her off by walking into the bathroom and starting to run a bath.   
“He didn’t actually mention the case, Miss.” she said almost awkwardly,   
“All he said was to make sure you were up early, and that he wanted me to lift your... house arrest... for the day: hence why I’ve been forced to wake you at an hour that isn’t the afternoon.”   
Phryne quirked an eyebrow and slid out of bed, draining her tea and shedding her nightdress and she walked into the bathroom, before sliding beneath the silken waters of her bath, and gratefully taking the bar of Amor du nuit soap that Dorothy offered her.  
“How mysterious...” she said with a smile, as Dot lathed up her hair with soap. A pause filled the room and a silence covered everything, before she spoke again.   
“Did he say anything else?”   
Dot shook her head, and rinsing her employer’s hair, left the room without another word, leaving Phryne confused and alone in the bath. Before the door to her boudoir was slung closed though, Dot’s voice could be heard shouting one last time.  
“He said he would be here by eleven!” 

Phryne glanced at the clock on the bathroom wall and practically jumped out the luxurious water of her bath, cursing at Dot under her breath. It was already a quarter to Jack picking her up o’ clock! She muttered in an irritated manner as she dried off, and pulled on her stockings, fastening them to her garter as usual, and slipping her dagger into the lacy band of fabric. She never really knew what to expect anymore when Jack told her they were going places, and it was always better to be safe than sorry... plus she would happily die for the look of equal admiration and annoyance that he gave her every time she pulled something out of her stockings.   
Rather than the conservative suit that Dot had laid out, once she reached the dressing room, Phryne picked a deep blue pair of suit trousers and matching jacket, layered over a lacy camisole, and paired with one of her favourite pairs of heels. It was far too hot for much else, she thought, as she brushed her hair and fixed the minimal amount of makeup she wore. With that, the clock struck eleven, and the telltale sound of a policeman’s knock could be heard from downstairs. Grabbing a cloche in a matching shade of blue, Phryne happily eavesdropped as Mr. Butler invited Jack in, and then breezed her way down the stairs, not paying much any attention to anything.  
“Good morning, Jack!”   
“Miss Fisher.” 

A tiny gasp escaped Phryne’s throat as she looked at the Inspector for the first time that day. He looked almost out of place in her hallway without his hat or three piece suit, his usual red-lined overcoat nowhere to be seen. Instead, he looked deliciously relaxed in a pair of tailored pants, Oxford brogues, and a sweater that complimented his own grey eyes. His hair seemed to be stuck down with a tad less pomade than usual, one little curl escaping from their hair-product prison.   
“Hello Jack!” she repeated even more happily than before, coming to rest at the bottom of the staircase, looking at him with a content smile on his face, which he returned.  
“I hear you’re trying to drag me out of bed early, what ever is the matter?” her tone was playful, and her counterpart’s eyes glimmered.  
“I thought you liked that I was a never ending source of mystery!”   
Phryne laughed, a rare sound, and Jack basked in the sunshine which she seemed to be emitting.   
“Mr. Butler?” Jack snapped out of the sunny trance that Miss Fisher had him entrapped in, and her butler walked into the hall.  
“Yes sir?” he asked,  
“Could I have that basked I asked for you to prepare?”  
Phryne raised an eyebrow for the second time that morning, and Mr. Butler handed Jack a wicker basket, which he held on one arm, and then offered Phryne the other, which she reached out for and practically glued herself on to, as Dot rushed into the room.   
“Don’t forget your sunscreen, Miss!”   
Jack laughed.  
“She’ll be fine Dot, and I promise I’ll have her back by sundown so she doesn’t turn into a pumpkin.”   
Dot giggled, and Miss Fisher ran an inquisitive eye between her companion and her Inspector.  
“Now what are you two up to that I don’t know about?” she asked, keeping herself firmly attached to Jack’s arm.  
Dot laughed, and Jack winked at Mr. Butler.  
“Nothing Miss!” said Dot, and Jack turned to the door, Phryne with him.  
“Now, go and have fun!”   
Phryne laughed- she was sure fun would ensue, even if it was hotter than the pits of hell out in the real world.

After having been packed into Jack’s car with the picnic basket by her feet (after having being chided with a “Yes, Miss Fisher, you’ll have to share your seat, and no, you’re not driving under any circumstances.”), the usual detective duo were off once more, obeying the speed limits of Melbourne as they drove along, and still obeying the aforementioned limits as they drove through the nearly empty plains that led to... the alps?   
After a little while of peace, and no noise other than the low rumble of the car, and sweet noise as Jack hummed, Phryne was starting to get rather bored. The hot air was harsh on her face, and the wind was making her have to clutch onto her hat with every turn, and, as wonderful it was to have seemingly unlimited time to drink in Jack’s more... relaxed look for the day, she was starting to get fidgety.  
“So I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me where you’re taking me?” she asked, and Jack ignored her.  
“Did Dot put you up to this? Is she sick of me?” Jack continued to ignore her, humming as the landscape passed by them in a flash.   
Phryne rolled her eyes and tried her final resort, lowering her voice and letting one hand come to rest on Jack’s knee.   
“Jack...” she said softly,  
“I shall be forced to murder you if you won’t tell me where we’re going... and solving a murder would be so much less fun without you...” she let her hand trace spidering patterns on Jack’s knee, before he grasped it firmly in his own and placed it back where it belonged: on her lap.   
“The Australian Alps, Miss Fisher.”   
Phryne’s ears perked up.  
“Really?!” a smile lit up her lips as, as if on cue, the alps rose up to greet them.   
“Miss Williams said you were heaven bent on leaving the house.” he said with a laugh,  
“Thought I must say I’m not surprised. I wrapped up a case without you, you almost passed out on my desk, and you must have such cabin fever, surrounded by those who love you in your well sized house...”   
Phryne swatted at his arm, and then rolled her eyes.  
“For the last time, I didn’t pass out! I simply wanted the breeze of your fan to cool me in a more... intimate place!”  
The tips of Jack’s ears turned a soft pink, and Phryne smirked. Of course that would shut him up.   
“You know, Miss Fisher.” he said, his usual air back, and the pink colouring gone,  
“If this was my own day out, I would be turning the car around right now-“   
Phryne punctuated his sentence with a pout, before letting him continue.  
“But it’s not, and I fear what Miss Williams would do to me if I didn’t successfully pull of this outing for you for the day- I’ve seen how she is towards Collins when he makes a mess of something.”  
“Oh Jack.” Phryne’s visage softened, and she let her hand rest on Jack’s again for a moment,   
“Helping Dottie out? Next thing I know you’ll be folding my stockings for me!”   
Jack rolled his eyes and pulling into a parking space, removed Miss Fisher’s hand from his arm once more, squeezing it lovingly before letting it go with a smirk.  
“Not on my life, Miss Fisher.”   
With that, he jumped out the car, and came around to open her door, ticking her ankle with his hand as he grabbed the picnic basket, and then offering her the other so she could jump out the vehicle, which she did so, before pulling her cloche back over her hair and walking off at breakneck speed.   
“Come on Jack!” She shouted once she was already halfway up the rutted path that ran along the base of the mountains,  
“Last one to the top has to repack the basket once we’ve eaten...so that it closes all the way!”   
Jack rolled his eyes. Of course that would be her barter. 

No more than fifteen minutes later, Miss Fisher’s sunny disposition had disappeared, and she was marching along with an irritated look on her face, hair sticking to the back of her neck, and hands busy fanning herself with her cloche that had long since been taken off of her head. Jack walked next to her at a smooth pace, the heat not having taken a toll on him so much as it had his walking partner.   
“Getting a little hot there, Miss Fisher?” he said in a teasing tone, swinging the basket along next to him and wiping the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief that he had found in his pocket.  
Phryne scowled at him, and in that moment, Jack thought it to be the cutest thing he had ever seen. Her voice rose a few octaves as she spoke, which Jack had come to notice was a sure sign that she was lying.  
“Of course not, Jack!” she said, huffing and puffing as they rounded the bend to yet another plateau, bending over and taking a deep gulp of breath.   
“Just a little-“   
She looked over to Jack and he looked at her with a knowing look.   
“Ok fine!” She grumbled, and didn’t meet his eye, opting for playing with the bead on her earring instead.  
“I’m tired! This is my life now, climbing this far! I have climbed this mountain, and now I shall die upon it!”   
Jack stifled a laugh at her dramatic declaration, and walking over to a tree that was home to some welcome shade, pulled the picnic blanket out of the hamper, laying it down before sitting and patting the checkered surface next to him.  
“Shut up.” he said fondly,  
“We’ve barely been climbing for twenty minutes.”   
Phryne glared at him, but sat down nonetheless, leaning against the tree and gulping the glass of water that Jack had just poured for her, as if it was the only thing that mattered in the world. Once she had downed the glass, she glared at Jack.  
“That’s fine for you to say!” she retorted,   
“But not all of us are fit for the outdoors as wild as this!”   
Jack laughed into his ham, cheese and mustard pickle sandwich, earning another scowl from his counterpart.  
“Dorothy said you’d be like this.” he said with an eye roll, and Phryne couldn’t help but laugh.  
“Of course she did.” she smiled.  
“She’s very fond of mentioning that even though I head a female adventurers club, I barely ever adventure myself- oh Jack, it’s too hot for this!”   
She lay down dramatically, and Jack stuffed the last of his sandwich into his mouth, before laying down next to her, not in her space, not touching her, but close enough so she realised he had joined her.   
“Jack?” Her voice was soft as she turned over on to her side, and he moved so that he was looking into her eyes.  
“Yes, Miss Fisher?”   
She reached out to smooth his lapels, but once realising they were not there as usual (as he had forgone his overcoat), she settled for resting her hands on his shoulders, and closing her eyes, shifting a little closer to him on their blanket.  
“I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m complaining, I- Thank you for bringing me, you didn’t have to.”   
Jack shook his head with a sigh.   
“I know full well that I didn’t have to, Phryne.” he said, and she reopened her eyes at his unusual use of her first name.  
“I wanted to.”   
Phryne smiled placidly, and thinking nothing of it, like it was the most natural thing in the world, lay her head in his chest, and to her surprise, he wrapped his free arm around her.   
“Well aren’t you a sweetheart.” she said sleepily, leaning up on one elbow to take a sip of her water.   
Jack rolled his eyes at her, and in one swift move, placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.   
She blushed, and and Jack looked all too proud of himself.  
“You’re grinning.” she said with a smile of her own, and placed one hand to where he had placed a kiss on her head, her heart fizzing with happiness, the heat suddenly forgotten.   
“What are you so proud of?”   
The tips of Jack’s ears coloured once more, and he smiled gently.  
“It wasn’t Dot’s idea to get you out the house. It was mine.”   
Phryne smiled.  
“As if I hadn’t guessed.” 

With that, she rolled over, and leaning her head in Jack’s chest, started to point out different cloud shapes in the sky, making him laugh and putting a smile on both their faces. They stayed there for a couple of hours, content in one another’s company, before packing up the picnic basket until it closed properly (together, for they had both reached the summit at the same time), and once the cooler air of dusk settled around them, they made their way back to the car. 

Once the two of them were both re-situated, the picnic basket by her feet, and his body in the drivers seat, Phryne spoke up once more.   
“Thank you, Jack.” her voice was gentle, and her eyes were shining with happiness.   
Jack shook his head.  
“There’s no need to thank me, Miss Fisher.”  
With that, they drove off back to Melbourne, and when Phryne placed her hand on Jack’s knee again, he didn’t waste a moment before taking it in his own. After all. If the day had already been mainly his plan, why couldn’t he let himself make all the decisions for once?

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic? I’m doing well kids, this is all thanks to your support and love. It makes my heart warm to see how active and adoring this fandom is, and I’m so happy to have found it.   
Happy almost the weekend!   
Love,  
T x


End file.
